The Just Friends Clause
by haternotalover
Summary: *Sequel to And Then She Was Gone* Eli and Clare are just friends... Rated T for now, maybe M for later ;    Before reading this, read And Then She was Gone. Then it will make sense
1. Well, Someone's Paranoid

**Chapter 1- Well, Someone's Paranoid**

_Day 44._ Eli thought. A sigh escaped his lips. It had been 44 days since he and Clare had made up. 44 days of being _just friends_.

The dreaded just friends. Although Eli knew he deserved not being with Clare (he had cheated on her after all), he couldn't help but be upset that they were no longer together. He wanting things to be back the way they were, before he met Melissa, before he let things go too far that one time (for it was only once, no matter what Clare thought), before all of that. But that wouldn't happen until Clare was ready.

And at this point, Eli was unsure if she ever would be.

Eli reached the stairs to his apartment building and climbed up, half dragging his feet. He and Clare still lived together but they slept in different rooms; Eli was in the spare room sleeping in his twin-sized bed from his teenage years. It wasn't exactly comfortable but he had to do whatever he could to get on Clare's good side. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her _back_.

He fumbled with his keys, almost dropping them once, but was finally able to slip the correct into the hole. The door opened and Eli stepped inside. Clare was seated on the couch and was looking at something in her lap. He could only see the back of her auburn curls.

He crept up behind her, careful not to knock into the table that stood near the doorway. Eli got closer and saw her cell phone resting in her lap. It went off and she opened it and a little giggle escaped her lips.

Eli loved that laugh so much. He loved everything about her. Her hair, her sarcastic personality, her eyes. Especially her eyes. They were blue, but blue was such a drab term. They were amazing, filled with so much depth and life. He would describe them as maybe azure or cornflower blue. Sometimes, Eli would just stare into them and she would stare back. They would be silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. The quiet was wonderful with both of them just thinking. It was peaceful. But they couldn't do that anymore. Friends didn't have romantic moments like those. Only people who are dating, engaged, married. He was none of those with Clare although they had been engaged until she broke up with him because of the whole Melissa thing.

He was about to put his hands over her eyes when he looked down at her phone screen.

_I cant wait 2 c u either ;)_ she typed.

_See who?_ Eli thought. He was confused. Clare didn't really have any girlfriends, not since Alli moved anyway and as far Eli knew she wasn't dating anyone. Or was she? Eli's mind was racing.

_What if she is dating someone? What if they're in love? What if they get married and move to California and have kids?_ Suddenly, Eli was worried. _What if she leaves me? I need her._

He needed to snap out of it. Clare wasn't _his_. If she wanted to run off with some guy that was her decision. She wasn't obligated to stay with Eli anymore; he was lucky she had decided to stay in the apartment. She felt bad that she would be leaving him with the full rent instead of just half. It wasn't because she still wanted to live with him even though they weren't together. She was just being a good friend. Friends do nice things for each other. It didn't mean she was still in love with him or that she wanted to eventually get married.

Why couldn't he just accept it?


	2. I Don't Know How I Feel Anymore

**Wow… I haven't updated in FOREVER! I'm so sorry. I've had about ten projects due in the past few days and that hasn't left much time for writing. I literally just finished this chapter and I need to post it before I get back to work.**

**Twitter:sisiluvdegrassi**

**Chapter Two- I Don't Know How I Feel Anymore**

Clare heard Eli's loud breathing before she saw him. He was probably trying to scare her again, just one of things he'd started doing since they'd become _just friends_. Her phone vibrated in her lap and she flipped it open. Todd was texting her. Clare smiled and laughed a little when she saw what it said: _coutin the minutes till our date :) cant wait to see ya._

_I cant wait 2 c u either ;)_ She typed back. Clare heard a small gasp over her shoulder; it was so quiet it was almost inaudible. Why was Eli gasping? Her eyes flicked over to try to get a glimpse of him, just to see his expression but he wasn't in her line of vision and he didn't want to turn around in fear that she wasn't supposed to know what he was upset about.

Finally, she got up the courage to turn around and look Eli in the eye. They were watery and he was staring at her. As soon as he noticed that she was looking at him, however, he cast his eyes quickly down.

"Eli? What's wrong?" Clare was genuinely concerned. Even thought they weren't together anymore, she still cared about him (she was no longer sure that she _loved_ him) and hated when he was upset. "You look…" She couldn't come up with a word to describe what he looked like.

He shook his head no. But his emotions betrayed him and a tear slid down his face. "It's nothing." He said, embarrassed. He turned away and started toward his bedroom, but she wasn't going to let him go that easily. Clare stood up and crossed the room to where Eli was standing. The door to his room was open and she could easily look inside and see the pictures of the two of them he had standing on his night stand. Despite all the time they had spent together since they had become _just friends _she hadn't looked into his room. Suddenly, Clare understood.

"Eli? Did you see that text?" She asked. Her arm reached out in a consoling manner but he pulled away and just nodded.

"Clare, I know I shouldn't feel this way, but… I can't help it. I still love you. I know I don't deserve to after what I did and I know you probably don't feel the same way anymore, but I think you deserve to know. And, yeah, it makes me sad and angry when I see you making plans with other guys because I don't want you to be. I want you to be with me." Another tear rolled out of his eye and he turned around and walked into his bedroom. Clare was left standing there speechless.

She wanted to say she loved him, Eli had no idea just _how much_ she wanted to tell him she loved him and hug him and kiss him and act like nothing had happened and he hadn't cheated. But none of those things could happen because he _had_ cheated and because she couldn't trust him anymore. Clare just needed to get over him, and Todd was the perfect way to do that.

**Love it? Hate it? Review!**


	3. Get Me Out Of My Mind

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or "Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)" by Panic! At the Disco. I want to own both but to quote Zoey 101 "If wants were dreams, wishes would fly."**

**I know I said this was on hiatus, but I had some extra time while I was on vacation and just typed this up. It might actually be over for a while after this though,**

**I'm such a nerd.**

**Chapter Three- Get Me Out of My Mind**

Eli lay on his bed with his eyes shut, trying to keep any more incriminating tears from falling from his eyes. It wasn't working though, and he left tears streaks on his pillow. Clare had knocked on the door for about ten minutes after his little confession, but Eli wouldn't answer and she eventually gave up, probably going text some more with Todd.

This thought only made Eli cry harder; screw "being a man". Sometimes, a guy just needs to cry and this was one of those times. He cried over his screwed up life; over Clare, over the fact that his feet hung off the edge of his bed because he had outgrown it years ago. Hell, he cried just because he _could_.

Eventually he fell into a restless slumber, tossing and turning, dreaming of Clare. He murmured her name multiple times throughout the night, his mind picturing her smiling with him, laughing. There were memories mixed in with the dreams: him proposing, but instead of being at the Dot they were outside on a blanket in the parking lot of Degrassi. This time, wasn't as perfect.

"_Eli, this is… great." Her tone was uncertain. "I have a lot of fun with you, but… I don't think we should get married." She looked down and fiddled with her thumbs._

"_Oh." Eli said, disappointed. "Why not?" Eli couldn't fathom a reason why Clare wouldn't want to get married. He thought of all his flaws, stuff he did that drove Clare crazy, but none of those were extreme enough to not get married. "If it's about me, Clare, I can change. I'll do anything. I love you, you know that."_

"_I know." Clare said quietly. "That's what makes this so difficult." She put her hands on the ground by her sides, palms down, like she was about to get up. But, at the last minute, she decided not to and placed them back in her lap. "Because you know I love you too."_

_Eli didn't understand what she was thinking. If they both loved each other why shouldn't they get married? He voiced his opinion and she looked down again._

"_It's just…." She said to her knees "I don't feel like I can trust you. I don't know why, but I just have this feeling in the back of my mind. Something isn't right here and I don't think I can commit to something like _marriage_ without being absolutely sure."_

_Eli was shocked by this. Not only that, but he was hurt as well. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve and showing her how much he loved her and she was rejecting him for a reason that didn't even make sense. Instead of telling her this, he then asked, "How long have you felt this way?" His voice came out hoarse and thick. He wanted to hide the tears, the sadness, to act like he wasn't upset._

"_I don't know. A while, I guess. I can't really remember when exactly." She shifted slightly, shifting her weight uncomfortably. He stared intently at her, trying to figure out why she felt like this. And why was she bringing this up _just now_? They had been dating for six years and now, when he finally got up the courage to do something he'd wanted to do since his senior year, she was discussing her qualms with him. "I should go…" she said, standing up and walking away from the blanket to her car._

"_Clare. Clare!" he called after her._

"Clare… Clare. Clare!" Eli said, suddenly waking and sitting straight up in bed. There was a small figure standing in the doorway. She was holding some sort of object in a defensive position. She slowly entered the room, her curls bouncing as she turned her head back and forth looking for any danger.

"Eli? What's going on?" She cautiously lowered the object (Eli later realized it was the metal baseball bat he had put under the bed when they first moved in).

"I think the bigger question is what are you doing in my room at"—he glanced at the digital clock next to his bed—"2 in the morning?" he rubbed his eyes with his fists, trying to get some of the sleep out of them.

She crossed her arms over her chest sharply. Her anger, although dimmed by lethargy, was still obvious in her body language. "I _think_ the question is why are you screaming my name at 2 in the morning? I thought you were getting robbed or something." Eli almost laughed in the darkness. He found the idea of Clare defended him from a burglar completely hilarious. Instead of laughing, however, he settled for a smirk, something Clare couldn't see and chastise him for.

"Oh sorry, Clare, I didn't mean to wake you." He yawned. "I was just having a… a bad dream." Eli frowned. He sounded like a four year old.

Clare walked closer, so close he could smell her shampoo, and sat down on the edge of his bed. Her hands ran through his hair. He froze, shocked, but soon relaxed and just enjoyed the feeling he hadn't had in so long. "What was this dream about?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"I—it was nothing," he stuttered.

"Oh, that's too bad." she murmured huskily. Suddenly, she attached her lips to his.

**Wow, I thought this was going well until I wrote the ending… it was just awkward.**

**BTW, I have a challenge for everyone! Go on Omegle (if you're allowed) and just type Degrassi quotes until someone gets it. I tried; it's freaking hilarious. Review or pm me with the results.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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